Awards
Athlete of the Year 2008
EAA Waterford Crystal Rising Star 2008
Runner-up Junior Sportsman of the Year 2008

Portrait

My name is Raphael Holzdeppe. I am a 26 year old polevaulter. I started polevaulting when I was 10 years old. What initially started of as a hobby, turned into a profession.

My greatest achievement to date was, becoming the first German World Champion in polevault in Moscow (2013). In 2008 I jumped a new U-20 Indoor Record Indoors of 5,68m and in the summer of the same year I equalled the World Junior Record of Maxim Tarasov (5,80m). I also qualified for the Olympic Games in Beijing and was 8th in the final.
In 2012 I won the first medals on senior level. Bronze at the European Championships in Helsinki as well as bronze at the Olympic Games in London.

My support team is an integral part of my success. They include my club, LAZ Zweibrücken, as well as my spnsors Nike, Stiftung Deutsche Sporthilfe, Sporthilfe Rheinland-Pfalz/Saarland, Landessportbund Rheinland-Pfalz and Red Bull.
In addition to this my coach, Andrei Tivontchik, as well as my medical team (Dr. Frank Krämer and Dr. Müller-Wohlfahrt) also plays a very important role.